You know I'm just not seeing that. My copy (thanks again, Reece) says "ow/w" on the label and that little exposed piece of paper doesn't look any different on it than it does on mine. To me, the book just looks dirty, but like a very, very nice 1.0, cover attached, and everything. I don't see anything that really "looks" brittle to me, like pieces of the book falling off and laying at the bottom of the well.
If anything, considering restored, trimmed, married, incomplete 0.5 copies have gone for $20k, if I was a gambling man or a dealer, I would definitely buy this copy and CPR it. I would send it to CCS raw, let them do their thing, and have it re-graded. I have no doubt that this book's grade would improve, and since the "PQ" on the label ain't getting any lower, and odds are, would improve, I would have nothing to lose at all.
Just a thought.
-J.